Despite the myriad of injuries the San Francisco 49ers have been forced to fight through in the early weeks of this 2025 season, they'd somehow still managed to win four of their first five games, with each win coming by five or fewer points.
The Niners' Week 6 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have also been forced to deal with injuries to several key contributors (nowhere near as many as San Francisco, but that could be said of any team) and also entered Sunday's matchup with a 4-1 record, their lone loss also coming in Week 4 and all four of their wins coming by three points or less.
For a while, it looked as if another nailbiter was on the way, but the Bucs proved to be a bit too much for the 49ers to handle, with Tampa Bay ultimately taking a 30-19 victory.
Now, any defeat is tough to take, but the big story coming out of this contest for San Francisco wasn't the loss of a football game. The Buccaneers were favored to win anyway, so it's not as if this was some big upset.
The bigger story, of course, was the loss of linebacker Fred Warner, who suffered a gruesome injury to his right ankle in the first quarter and was carted off the field. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan later revealed the four-time All-Pro's ankle had been both fractured and dislocated and would require surgery, thus ending his season.
In his postgame press conference, Christian McCaffrey, who finally scored San Francisco's first rushing touchdown of the season in the defeat, said what every 49ers player, coach, and fan was thinking about the loss of their defensive leader.
"It's just heartbreaking," McCaffrey said. "It's such a weird game when you have to see somebody like that—and with what happened with Bosa earlier in the year—and then just have to continue to play. It's kind of a weird deal, but it's heartbreaking. He's one of the best players I've ever played with and one of the best leaders I've ever played with. And so, you know, it's heartbreaking."
Yeah, that about sums it up.
There's no way to truly replace a guy like Warner, who was easily in the early conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, but Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will obviously have some things to work out during practice this week ahead of next Sunday night's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
But while the San Francisco defense will undoubtedly be weaker moving forward, the offense may soon get a boost, as quarterback Brock Purdy (toe), perennial Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle (ankle), and second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall (knee) may all be available against Atlanta. And Brandon Aiyuk may not be far behind.
When asked if he was encouraged about these upcoming returns, McCaffrey certainly pepped up a bit.
"Yeah, absolutely," McCaffrey responded. "I think, you know, that's huge. Just having more depth and having some guys come back with fresh energy, you know, that's a big deal."
Yes, Christian, that is a big deal. Given what the 49ers have been through, they certainly deserve to have some injury news go their way for once.